Automatic regulator for air-brakes



. (No Model.)

0. A. BASS. I AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR AIR BRAKES.

No. 858142. Patented Feb. 22, 1887.

IL PETERS. Pholu-Uflmgmpho Washington 0 a by the pump.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. BASS, OF OIGERO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR AIR-BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 358,142, dated February22, 1887.

' Application filed July 22, 1886. Serial No. 208,790. (No model.) I

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BASS, a citizen of the United States,residing in the town of Cicero, in the county of (look and State ofIllinois, have made certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticRegulators for Air-Brakes, of'which the following is the specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive, showing my improvementapplied to the airpipes. Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1, with the cabremoved, showing my improvement. Fig. 3 is a detail of my regulator.

In the use of air-brakes it is a very common occurrence for such a highpressure to be applied to the brakes as to cause the wheels to slide,andin this event they become flattened and unfit for further service.Frequently this pressure is so great as to break or more or less injuredifferent parts of the braking device.

This excessive pressure is caused by too great a quantity of air beingforced into thetrain-pipes Air-brakes are so adjusted that a certainpressure is the maximum pressure required to operate the brakes, and allpressure in excess of this fixed amount or standard causes thebrake-shoes to be forced with too great a pressure against the Wheels.To regulate or to neutralize this pressure in excess of the maximumpressure fixed upon to properly work the brakes is the object of thisinvention.

- Only such parts of an air-brake are shown in 5o lator.

the drawings and described as will show the working of my invention.

A, Fig. 1, is the air-pump of any system of airbrakes. B isthe pipeleading from the pump to the drum 0.

D is the pipe leading to the three-way cock This cock is worked by theengineer.

F is the inlet-pipe. His the automatic regulator, placed on andconnected to the inlet-pipe F in front of the pump. From this automaticregulator leads the pipe I to the train-pipe K.

In Fig. 3 is shown the construction of the regulator. It consists of theshell 01, connected to the inlet-pipe F. At the upper end of this shell,and extending into it, is the case d and nut 9, above which joins thepipe I to the regu- In case (1 is the valve i, pressed against the seatZ by the spring m, around the stem 0.

This spring at is adjusted or set at the maximum pressure fixed forWorking the brakes. The fixed pointof this spring on is the nut r atlower end of case d. The stem 0 extends through a hole in nut r. s s areholes through case d, making an opening from interior of case d tointerior of shell to.

t is a double-seated valve, placed in inlet-pipe F, one side of whichrests on the seat 1; and the other side works against the seat :0. y isacoiled spring on under side of valve t.

The operation of my invention is as follows: When the pressure in thetrainpipe exceeds the maximum pressure fixed for Working the brakes, thevalve 2' will open and the valve 13 will close. The closing of the valve15 prevents airentering the pump and opensapassage from the regulatorinto the front of the pump, and the opening of the valve tconnects oropens a communication from the inlet-pipe in front of the pump with thetrain-pipe around the pump and on the opposite side thereof. The valveiwill remain open and the valve t will remain closed just so long as thepressure in the trainpipeisinexcess of the maximum pressure fixed as alimit for working the brakes. This will be only a very short time, as noair enters the pump to increase the pressure. The compressed air in thepipes is forced into thetrainpipe, then through pipe I into theregulator, thence into the inlet-pipe, then into the pump, and so onover again until the excess is'removed and yalve i closes and valve topens. This excess of pressure is removed by applying the brakes or bythe leakage which occurs at the joints of the air-pipes. At no time doesthe gage indicate any considerable pressure above the maximum pressurefixed when this improved regulator is used, while Without it the gagewill indicate at times a pressure a little below the boiler-pressure, atwhich time, if the brakes are applied, too great a pressure will beapplied to the wheels,which will cause them to slide, and other damagesto the brake machinery will follow. The spring y is just strong enoughto lift the valve up and hold it against the upper seat, so, while airis being pumped into the brake-cylinders, thus preventing itspounding'on its two seats.

It will be observed that I make a communication direct from theinlet-pipe to the train-- pipe, with no intervening valve between thetrain-pipe and inlet-pipe, excepting the regulator shown in Fig. 3, andlocated 011 the inletpipe in front of the pump. It will also be observedthat the regulating of the pressure of the air in the brake-cylinders isdone by means of the regulator, and that it is entirely automatic andrequires no manipulating by the engineer.

I claim 1. In combination with an air-brake, the automatic regulator H,attached to the inletpipe in front of the pump, and pipe I, connectingregulator and inlet with the train-pipe in rear of pump, substantiallyin the manner and 15 for the purpose shown.

2. In combination with the automatic regulator, the valve t and' springy in inlet-pipe, substantially in the manner and for the purpose shown.

(JHARLES A. BASS.

Witnesses:

JAS. A. CowLns, E. N. FAY.

